(Contextual Presentation) A Small Place, Kincaid
Within the book “a small place” Kincaid mentions the prevalence of corruption in Antigua. Kincaid speaks on the fact that the government ministers run brothels, steal public funds, and participates in broker shady deals. I researched this article “ the effects of political corruption on Caribbean development” by Michael W Collier and it mainly touches base on the same points on corruption. It states “Every state in the Caribbean is affected by the illegal drug trade. Some states such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent, and St. Lucia are drug producers growing local marijuana crops. The larger role of Caribbean states are as drug transshipment points for illegal cocaine and heroin shipments bound from South American drug producing countries to markets in the United States and Europe. The mixture of corruption and drugs creates a vicious cycle of crime and violence that is engulfing many of the small Caribbean states. Corruption is what allows the illegal drug trade to flourish. Drug money payoffs to government officials, police officers, and justice system officials cause these officials to “look the other way” as the drug gangs go about their business on many Caribbean states.”
Kincaid also dives into the ugliness of tourism and points out the loveliness of the places that tend to attract tourists is often a source of difficulty for those who live there. For example “ the sunny, clear sky of Antigua, which indicates a lack of rainfall, makes fresh water a scarce and precious commodity.” To compare this article “the impact of tourism in the Caribbean” covers the same topic as Kincaid does in the book, it states “Damage to the physical-biological environment will occur with increasing densities of both tourists, and local residents. Unfortunately most rainforest in the smaller islands is already in a state of dis-equilibrium, so that unless the movement of people is very strictly controlled, this most valuable resource will degenerate very rapidly. Where a large tourist resort is allowed to extend a beach artificially the new promontory may interfere with local currents in such a way that other beaches will be eroded. New hotels mean more effluents, more pollution, more deterioration of valuable coastal waters.”
Citations:
- Matthews, Harry G. “Radicals and Third World Tourism: A Caribbean Focus.” Annals of Tourism Research, Pergamon, 6 May 2009, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738377800066.
- Author links open overlay panelTheo L.HillsJanLundgren∗, et al. “The Impact of Tourism in the Caribbean: A Methodological Study.” Annals of Tourism Research, Pergamon, 30 Sept. 2002, reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/0160738377900986?token=1773AECBADE381606449A2893541D4E608C0EA0E08D214E72C1C615DFB69430EBFE4622E969C506C2C9E3D43DEF54996&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20210415021523.
I was not aware of the corruption in the Caribbean and reading about this really opens my eyes to things that I completely ignored before. This article makes me wonder what the solution to the corruption in those states would be. I was more aware of the effect of tourists on smaller countries, but I didn’t know about things like the example you brought up with the extension to the beach.
This was a great post! I think you really conveyed that so many places tourists perceive as idyllic getaways are really impoverished countries. It reminded me of a scene from The Office, when Michael Scott comes back from Sandals, Jamaica and is telling everyone they should have “no worries,” like the Jamaicans, and Pam replies “It’s kind of an impoverished country.”
Also, I was not aware of the level of corruption these countries experience at the hands of their government officials and the damage these countries experience at the hands of tourists. It seems it’s a double edged sword.
I really enjoyed reading your post! It is wild to me that this goes on in many countries. I was unaware of the corruption that is involved in a lot of country’s governments. Personally, I have never traveled outside of the United States to a different country so I have not experienced being a tourist in a new country. However, I can see how other people traveling can only see the beauty and the glory of a new country without seeing the cost that the people living there are forced to pay. It is upsetting and unfair. Great post!
great job on your post! I cannot believe that this type of corruption and cycle of crime goes on in other countries. I have been to the country of Jamaica and St. Lucia, and I can’t believe that this is the type of stuff that goes on outside of the resorts. It really shows how tourists don’t see the fully picture of the place they are visiting.
Thank you for post! I was unaware of just how deep the corruption ran within these Caribbean countries. It is sad how much power these illegal drug cartels have, and as a result it is a very difficult situation to fix because anyone that attempts to provide a solution to the problem will be severely punished or even killed by the cartel. It is also interesting how the tourist scene provides both benefits and consequences for the locals.
Hi, I found this to be very helpful to prepare for the reading this week. I didn’t think about the larger scale effects of tourism on the communities. What stuck out to me was the quote from the related article saying that a resort will be able to artificially extend the beach and then following that the huge impact that has elsewhere causing beaches to erode. It really makes me think more about my impact of things.
·Nice Post! It’s great for me to know about the corruptions in these countries which I had no idea at all. I also realize how tourists can affect the local people very much, in an unpleasant way which didn’t think of before. I will pay more attention to the environment if I go to another country for traveling in the future.
This is a very interesting and informative post. I never would have thought that having a clear sunny sky would also be a major problem for the people in that area. It shows that there is more that meets the eye sometimes.